Who Is Funding the Science That's Too Early for Venture Capital?
April 22, 2026
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
#57 in Institutes and Centers
57Institution Overview
Overall
Ranking
57
56
Rank in
Research Capabilities
46
Rank in
Entrepreneurial Readiness
49
Rank in
Market Translation
Minneapolis, MN
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute ranks 57th among 60 biomedical institutes in the Cure Innovation Index, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Affiliated with a public safety-net health system in the Twin Cities, the institute focuses on clinical and community health research. Across Research Capabilities, Market Translation, and Entrepreneurial Readiness, it sits in the lower tier of the biomedical institute category, with Market Translation representing its relative strength. The institute's grounding in urban clinical care shapes the applied character of its research mission.
Ranking Metrics
Research Capabilities
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute ranked below average for Research Capabilities, a measure of the foundational infrastructure and resources that enable an institution to conduct high-quality, innovative science. Out of the factors in this category, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute fared best in Funding Support.
Learn MoreEntrepreneurial Readiness
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute ranked below average for Entrepreneurial Readiness, a measure of whether the institution has built a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurship and whether faculty are engaged in and incentivized toward commercial activity. Out of the factors in this category, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute fared best in Ecosystem Support.
Learn MoreMarket Translation
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute ranked below average for Market Translation, a measure of how effectively a research institution moves scientific discovery out of the lab and into real-world clinical and commercial applications. Out of the factors in this category, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute fared best in Industry Connections.
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Cure Innovation Index Methodology
From a pool of more than 6,000 institutions, the top 303 were ranked using two dozen indicators — from scientific foundation and lab infrastructure to patents, products, and partnerships — drawn from more than a dozen federal and commercial databases, an original audit of all institutions, and surveys of more than 3,300+ scientists, industry leaders, and biomedical experts.
Insights From the Cure Innovation Index
Explore by Category
Innovation isn't a single moment — it's an entire ecosystem. The Index evaluates institutions across two dozen indicators, grouped in three core domains that reveal the full picture of what it takes to turn groundbreaking science into real-world impact.
